Column: Ready to dine outdoors? Here’s how to make it simple

Wednesday

Mar 26, 2014 at 12:01 AMMar 26, 2014 at 9:02 AM

Most of you know how much I love eating alfresco. With Mother Nature teasing us with warm days and sunshine, itís time to clean up the grill, pull out the patio cushions and grab a large pitcher for sangria. A good rule of thumb I follow when planning an outside get-together is to keep it simple.

Cathey Noell / Special to The Star

Most of you know how much I love eating alfresco. With Mother Nature teasing us with warm days and sunshine, itís time to clean up the grill, pull out the patio cushions and grab a large pitcher for sangria. A good rule of thumb I follow when planning an outside get-together is to keep it simple.

I like to serve a house drink so I donít have to act as bartender during the event. There are other things you can do ahead of time as well. I grill a meat or a vegetable that I have marinated in advance. I prepare a salad, whether itís a green salad or pasta salad, and I also make sure Iíve made a casserole-type side dish.

My favorite meats to grill are pork tenderloins, skirt steaks, chicken breasts or thighs and just about any type of seafood. When making a simple green salad, I use baby spinach, arugula and romaine ó a great combination for tossing with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil vinaigrette.

When it comes to pasta salad, my go-to recipe is as simple as it gets. All you need is a package of frozen tortellini, a jar of pre-made pesto, and since its time for asparagus to come into season, you can grab a bundle, cut them into pieces and just add it to the water while cooking the tortellini. This salad is easy to make and delicious.

Give these springtime recipes for White Wine Sangria and Pesto Tortellini with Asparagus a try, and go outside and cheer on Mother Nature to bring us more sunshine.

Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus. Cut asparagus into 2-inch pieces. Prepare cheese-filled tortellini according to package directions. Add asparagus pieces to pasta water during the last 2 minutes of cooking; drain. Pour any excess oil from top of pesto container. Toss together tortellini mixture, pesto, lemon rind and salt. Serve immediately. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

WHITE WINE SANGRIA

1 (750-milliliter) bottle of dry white wine

1 cup thawed orange juice concentrate

1/3 cup thawed lemonade concentrate

1/3 cup thawed limeade concentrate

1 navel orange, sliced

1 lemon, sliced

3 cups club soda

Stir together the first 4 ingredients. Stir in half of the fruit slices. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Stir in club soda just before serving. Serve over ice with the remaining fruit slices. Makes about 2 quarts.

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